BERLIN, April 10 (Reuters) - Russia is a reliable energy supplier to western countries but it has other potential partners if they turn elsewhere for oil and gas in response to the Ukraine crisis, First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said on Thursday.

At an event in Berlin, Shuvalov also said that imposing sanctions on Russia would not change the behaviour of President Vladimir Putin and that the tougher sanctions were, the more united Russian society would become. (Reporting by Markus Wacket; Writing by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Stephen Brown)